Tag Archives: MH-60S

Kingfish and Dragon Master

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After WWII, minesweeping took to the air, at least in the U.S. Navy, and by the 1960s helicopter-borne sleds were the name in the game (see RH-3A’s on USS Ozark in a past Warship Wednesday for more on that).

Current tech involves the MH-53E Sea Dragon towing the Mk-107 sled. The thing is, the Navy just has two dozen ‘Dragons left and they are scheduled to be retired by 2025.

So what is the replacement plan for the ship-based Airborne Mine Counter Measure (AMCM) mission?

Last month the folks at the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Panama City Division, dunked a UUV into the drink via chopper.

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They used a “Dragon Master” MH-60S helicopter of HX-21 to drop a MK18 Mod 2 Kingfish underwater unmanned vehicle into the drink. Kingfish has been around since 2011 and deployed in 2013 with the 5th Fleet for tests. The 600-pound, 12-foot long UUV is outfitted with several different

The torpedo-shaped 600-pound, 12-foot long UUV is outfitted with several different pencil and side-scan sonars attuned to mine hunting but can also be used for route recon, debris field inspection, salvage work and just about any other underwater tasking. Based on the Kongsberg Maritime Hydroid REMUS 600, it can remain on task for 24-hours before needing a recharge and dive to 2,000-feet.

The test seemed to go well, by all accounts.

“Once in a hover, the crewman streamed the mass model and adapter into the water and initiated release of the MK18 MOD2 mass model. Once the MK18 MOD2 mass model was released from the UUV adapter the crewman retrieved the adapter back to storage position on the side of the aircraft,” said NSWC PCD MH-60S Integration Lead Tim Currie. “The total operation, from liftoff to touchdown, took 18 minutes. The release of the mass model and recovery of the UUV adapter took approximately three minutes.”

More here

Now they just have to test how to get it back out.

Seven Weeks…on a 270-foot boat. Meh

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BOSTON, Mass. (DVIDS) – The crew of Coast Guard Cutter Seneca returned to their homeport in Boston on April 10, after completing a 53-day deployment which included two weeks of training at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek, Va., and five weeks of fisheries patrols off the coasts of New Jersey, Virginia, and North Carolina.

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An MH-60 from Air Station Elizabeth City making its final approach to the Coast Guard Cutter Seneca flight deck during day time launch and recovery exercises. (Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Nicole Lockhart)

The Seneca patrolled the Mid-Atlantic Ocean in support of the Coast Guard Fifth District’s Operation Ocean Hunter. They boarded 26 fishing vessels from March 2 until April 5. During the patrol, the Seneca ensured the commercial fishing fleet was in compliance with all federal fisheries regulations and issued two fisheries violations.

In addition to law enforcement, the Seneca conducted a workup with the Coast Guard Maritime Security Response Team and other deployable specialized forces units. Using the Seneca’s flight deck, MSRT members completed 76 vertical insertions and 44 hoists. They also completed 210 climbs where they boarded the cutter from a tactical boat via a caving ladder. The Seneca also completed several helicopter in-flight refuels and vertical replenishments with Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City, N.C. The Seneca underwent a post mission effectiveness project training availability period, led by Coast Guard Afloat Training Group Atlantic.

For two weeks, the Seneca conducted shipboard drills, and training and evolutions to improve overall crew proficiency in navigation, seamanship, force protection and damage control. The events included a successful underway refueling evolution alongside a Navy oiler and the completion of 51 standard drills and exercises